The Penn's Grove record., 1887-02-19
BEFORE THE DOCTOR COMES.
With a Person Overcome by the Hoaf
or Apparently Drowned.

a little knowledge is not dangerous and
is much better than no knowledge, is 10
rendering such aid as every n ought
to be able TO give to the injured while
waiting for the arrival OF competent
surgeons. Such knowledge is easily
obtained. 1t ought to be part Of q COM
mon school education. During the sum-
mer months of the year no dangers are so
much talked about as sunstroke and suf-
location, the latter including Of course,
tie suffocation by water or drowning.
The large army of mechanics at work on
the sunny sides of streets, often in pock-
cts between high brick walls, where the
thermometer rises far above 100 degrees
during the afternoon, are peculiarly liza
BILE to what is called sunstroke, but
which is really a heat stroke. The body
simply becomes overheated and exhaust
ed, and this may happen on a warm day
in the shade as well as in the direct rays
of the sun. In a convenient little work
entitled ''First Aid to the Injured, "
written by Bowditch Morton, NJ. D.,
at the request of the Society for Instruc-
ton in first aid to the injured, the treat
ment as well as all other injuries likely
to come UNEXPECTEDLY, is explained in a
way easily understood.
The PATIENTS face, head and body are
burning hot and dry when suntruck.
The only thing to do before the doctor
comes is to reduce the temperature OF
the patient. Strip him naked and wrap
him in a sheet wet with the coolest
water that can be had. If this is not
practicable pack the head, neck and
shoulders in wet clothes, handkcrchiefs
or towels, or whatever is most conve-
nient, and change the cloths as fast as
they get warm, until the patient regains
consciousness. But in some eases work
in a warm room produces heat exhaus-
ton. The face is but slightly flushed,
while the skin may be moist and cool.
The pulse will then be feeble and fire.
quent. Rest in a cool room is needed,
with some light stimulant.
In cases of s%uffocation the first thing
to do is to remove the cause of suffoca-
ton. If a man is found hanging by the
neck, cut the rope. If he is found
drowning take him out of the water. 1t
ought not to be necessary to say this,
but the truth is that the first impulse OF
the majority of people when a man IS
found hanging by the neck is to call the
police and notify the coroner. Many
other intelligent people believe that they
have no right to cut a man down who is
found hanging by the neck. They be-
lieve that the coroner must do this.
Coroners cultivate this belief. 1t brings
a good many bodies under their care
which would otherwise be saved alive.
MOVa YNnnVIa ~ guffnpatnn hV water
than by ropes, but a man strangled bya
rope should be treated the same as n
who has been apparently drowned.
When a person that is apparently
drowned is taken out of the water, lay
him on the pier or wherever most con-
venient. Then strip him to the waist
and rub him dry, and wipe out the
mouth and back of the throat with a
handkerchief folded over m of your
fingers. Then turn the patient over, face
down, and Put his arm under his fore
head, and a rolled up coat under his
stomach. If you have no coat a log OF
wood, a coil of rope, or a dozen brick,
or anything found nea by to raise the
stomach will do. Then put both hands
on the small of the back and push them
uown hard. That will force out the
water that has got inside. Turn the
patient over on his back. lie will often
begin to breathe then. If he doesn't,
tickle his nose with a bit of grass, a
feather, a bit of Irvine, or anything that
will tickle. If that doesn't do any good,
hit him a smart slap with the open hand
on the pit of the stomach. If that
doesn't make him catch his breath he is
a bad case, but by no means hopeless.
Whatever is done must be done without
delay; but never hurry, because hurry
begets furry always.
Finding that the slap does no good, al
once open the patients mouth. You
will find that his tongue has dropped
back into his throat 80 that he cannot
breathe if he wants to. Take hold OF 1t
and pull it up, and if you have a stout
rubber band with you slip it well back
over the lower jaw, so that it will snap
down on the tongue, keeping it from
falling back. A string of any kind may
be tied around instead Of the rubber
band, but you must keep watch OF either
to see that the tongue does not slip
away and get back into the throat. Tie
very best way to secure the tongue is 10
stick a pin or needle through it half an
inch or so from the tip, and let the ends
of the pin rest on the teeth-that is,
|toggle it. The patient will have a sore
tongue if he gets well, but he won't
mind that. Put the rolled-up coat I'M
der the PATIENTS shoulders. Then kneel
at his head and pull his arms up above
his head and lay them fiat along the
ground, with the hands touching each
other. Hold them there two seconds,
while the chest expands and the lungs
fill with air. Then Taise the arms up
over his head and place them on bis
chest, so that his hands touch each
other Just below the neck, and press
firmly down and in on the chest for an
instant. This viii press the air out
again. Take hold of the arm half way
between the wrist and the elbow in
doing this. Keep on filling the lungs
with air and emptying them again until
the patient begins to breathe naturally.
Work deliberately and regularly and
don't stop short of one hour and-a-halt
unless the patient RECEIVERS, no matter
how hopeless the case may seem TO be.
People have been revived who did not
show sign Of life until they had been
worked over two hours. One child was
saved in the western part of the state
last year after the doctor had pronoun-
ced it dead. When the patient breathes,
warm him by putting hot water bottles
under the arm-pits and on the stomach.
Hot nannels will do. Then give stimu-
Tents in moderate quantities.
Stimalents should always be given
sparingly to those who are hurt unless a
physician is in charge and orders them.
They should never be given to a man
who has been injured about the head,
particularly if he is unconscious, unless
a competent physician is in charge.